


where the flowers bloom

by gayskull



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, High School, Modern AU, Romance, Slice of Life, set in the 1990's
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-01-04 17:50:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21201656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayskull/pseuds/gayskull
Summary: Gilbert takes a liking to Anne, a new girl in town. They spark an unlikely bond and together they navigate through their youth, experiencing high school, friendship and romance along the way.modern au





	1. one

Gilbert enjoyed Friday's.

Mary was off work at the bakery those days, which meant she was able to work her magic in the kitchen, and he didn't have to worry about Bash burning it down. 

Gilbert did want to enjoy this Friday much more though, because on Monday it would be the first day of eleventh grade for him. The air was already starting to get cooler, summers were short in Avonlea, too short for his liking. 

Gilbert's summer went ok, he spent it helping out around the house, taking care of Delphine, helping out in the bakery, tending to his family's apple orchard. 

Speaking of which. 

"Gilbert, can you go fetch some apples please, I want 'em fresh for the pie I'm making." Mary shouted from the kitchen. 

"I'll get on it!" 

He grabbed the basket they used to pick apples for the house off the kitchen table and headed out the backdoor to the orchard a little ways from their own backyard. He started by looking at all the trees to make sure they were all healthy, once when he was young,one of the trees had gone rotten and affected all the other surrounding trees. He really wouldn't want another incident like that. 

He walked by all the trees, feeling their trunks and picking the best apple, as he moved from a row to another he caught a glimpse of something orange. He thought perhaps it could've been a butterfly, but when he saw it again it looked a lot like hair. He creeped closer and saw that nestled in the middle of the grove was a girl. She had on brown trousers with suspenders and a white button up top. No shoes, and flowers nestled in her hair, behind her ears, in her two identical braids that were swaying as she spun around the trees. 

As she stopped and looked up at the sky Gilbert approached her, her back turned to him. He reached out and tapped her on the shoulder. 

"Excuse me, ma-" 

He was cut off as the girl swung around and wacked him the face with a book she was holding. He groaned slightly and held his face. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry, are you alright?" 

"Yeah I'm fine."

He looked down and met her eyes, and oh what a slight they were. 

Blue. Bright and alert, wide. Pretty. They seemed to adorn her face, which was covered in adorable star-like freckles. Her lips were a shocking red, looked chewed on with slight cuts slashed across them. Her hair wasn't as neat as it maybe should've been, but the mess of it was beautiful, the flowers made her eyes pop and made the dirt on her cheek look like it belonged there. 

She was absolutely gorgeous. 

"Oh thank goodness, I'd feel so terribly if I seriously hurt the owner of this wondrous palace of trees, you are the owner, aren't you?" 

He forgot how to speak for a second. "Um...yeah I am, and no worries, I'm healthy as a horse."

She smiled, it was infectious, he couldn't help but smile back. 

"I'm Gilbert Blithe, I've never seen you around here before, I take it you're new?" 

"You'd be correct," She held out her hand. "I'm Anna Shirley Cuthbert, me and my caretakers just moved, they lived here when they were younger, personally I don't know why they ever left, Avonlea is such an exquisite place, so much scope for the imagination, don't you think?" 

He chuckled slightly as he shook her hand. "Cuthbert, as in Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert?" 

She smiled, her eyes lit up. "Yes, them exactly, I imagine if you knew they before they left your never guess they'd come back with a daughter."

He laughed. "Well they never did seem like the kind to become parents so I suppose not." 

They locked eyes for a second, he could feel his smile grow, her eyes widened and she let out a small sigh as she pulled her eyes away from his. 

"I should probably get going, Marilla will be expecting me for supper."

He backed away, stepping out of his trance. "Ah yes, I should probably get going as well, but I do hope to see you again."

She smiled tightly and ran off, he caught the book she was reading. To Kill a Mockingbird. 

One of his favorites. 

He couldn't stop thinking of Anne all weekend. He found himself sneaking peeks at the apple orchard just to see if she was there. It was a little strange and he scolded himself slightly for it, it was very strange. 

He just couldn't stop thinking of her messy red hair. 

He did try to clear him mind as it was time to go back to school. School was okay for Gilbert, he knew he was particularly bright and thrived by it. Though he didn't have any honest friends he kept himself occupied with the antics of his classmates. Charlie was an okay boy, as was Moody, though slightly clumsy. Gilbert knew not to do projects with him after the solar system incident in the sixth-grade. 

Still he was excited, summer was alright but he liked school, he liked having a schedule and things to do besides idle work. 

History was his first subject as he sat in class going over his schedule different people went up to greet him, Moody, Charlie, Ruby, who stuttered out a hello and ran off. He shook his head smiling slightly, then said hello to Diana, Ruby's friend. 

"Hello Gil…" She looked across the classroom and smiled widely. "Anne!" 

His head snapped to the door, there stood Anne, the girl that had been lurking in his mind for the past three days. She wore a beige shirt with colorful lines tucked into some blocky jean shorts. She actually had shoes on this time, and her hair was neater and without flowers in it.

Diana and Ruby ran to Anne to see her, they talked for a while at the door, giggling and hugging one another. He wondered how they knew each other, as far as he knew she wasn't here last school year. 

He stood up as they came in the direction of his desk, they came close enough that Anne almost bumped into him. They locked eyes again and he smiled. 

"Hello Anne."

She smiled brightly. "If it isn't Gilbert Blythe, picker of apples-" 

"Slayer of dragons." He cut her off. 

"Well I didn't see no dragons lurking about during our rendezvous." She repositioned the book in her hand so it was between them. 

"Must've been delusional, you did hit me quite hard with that book Ma'am."

She opened her mouth, possibly to throw back another retort but the teacher came into the room before she could, so instead she waved at him and walked over to a desk in the next row from him in the front with Diana and Ruby, whispering. 

Gilbert didn't really mean to be creepy but he stared at her for a good portion of the class, she listened to the teacher intently, like there was information to soak up on the first day of class. He smiled slightly, it was cute, she was invested. 

Towards the end of class she turned to whisper to Ruby and caught him staring at her, she smiled and went back to whispering with Ruby. He looked down and blushed. 

This was going to be a very interesting school year. 

Second period was his elective, he choose French, he recognized some kids in this class but not a lot, mostly freshmen and some sophomores. There was Diana and Jerry, which was strange, as far as he knew these two already knew French, Jerry's family literally came here from France a few years ago. They stayed in the back the whole time whispering to each other. 

Third was Pre Calculus, Anne wasn't in that class either which was a slight disappointment, but he had fun answering the teachers 'get to know me' sheet. 

Fourth was lunch, his school always gave the option to eat outside when it was warmer so he headed out to eat his lunch and read over some of his classes syllabus. He heard laughter at a nearby table and looked up from his sheets and saw Anne with Ruby, Diana, and a few other girls. He looked at the apple in his hand and got an idea. 

He snuck up behind Anne, some of the other girls saw and gave him puzzled looks but said nothing. He gently tugged on one of her braids and whispered to her. 

"Hey, Carrots."

She grabbed the braid he had tugged and turned to look at him. Her look of confusion turned into one of anger. 

"What did you call me?"

"Um…"

"That's a rather rude nickname, don't you think?" 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, Anne."

"You may have not meant to but you did." She grabbed her book off the lunch table and walked away. 

He watched as Diane and Ruby got up to follow her. He stood their dumbfounded with an apple in his hand. The other girls gave him strange looks. 

"Hello?" Jose said. "She's gone, go away?" 

He gave her a tight lipped smile and walked away with his tail between his legs. 

He had fifth period with Anne, which was awkward, he looked around and realised this was a class for advanced language arts and she was the only one he knew. They were set up in pairs and each one already occupied a person. He didn't want to sit next to a random student so he took the seat next to her, she looked up from her book for a second but quickly looked back down and continued her reading. 

The teacher finally entered the class, so the tension was shattered for a second as she spoke. 

"Hello class, I'm Ms Stacey, and chances are if you're here you're probably a very bright individual."

Anne looked up and paid close attention to the teacher speaking, she looked like she was practically jumping out of her seat. 

"I hope we'll have a very fun year together, I hope we'll come to be best of friends."

She handed out a 'get to know me' worksheet, this one was slightly different, it had strange questions, like 'tell me a secret' or 'use your initials to find words to describe yourself. It was a nice break from the usual 'when's your birthday' and 'do you have any pets'. 

Anne enjoyed it, she answered each question with vigor, until it came to the very last question. 

'ask your partner what their fondest memory is'

They looked at each other, but Anne quickly averted his gaze. 

He cleared his throat. "I suppose a good memory is when my niece was born, her name is Delphine, we call her Delly for short, she's a bit older now, three, but I can still remember the first time I held her."

He smiled fondly. "I didn't know it was possible to feel so much for someone who hasn't even been alive for a day."

She smiled. "Sounds sweet." 

She took a deep breath. "I suppose mine would be when I was adopted, I was only eleven, and I was supposed to go to a distant relative they had found of mine but I was sent to the Cuthberts instead."

"They tried to return me to the relative, but she claimed she didn't want me in the first place, and Marilla was so upset, I'd like to think I grew on her a bit, she said I could stay for a while, but a while turned into forever."

She looked like she was tearing up just talking about it, he watched her cautiously, but she wiped away her forming tears and looked at him with red rimmed eyes. 

"That wasn't even the best part, being told they were going to adopt me, the best part was when I had dinner with them one night, Marilla made sure I washed up and complimented my bread baking skills. It sounds stupid, but it was the first time I actually felt loved."

They locked eyes, everytime they did Gilbert felt like he had gained five years of life.

Then the bell rang. 

When he got home he went upstairs and wrote an apology letter. He thought of the anger in her eyes when he had called her carrots and the tears in them when she talked of being loved for the first time in eleven years. 

The next morning he placed it on her desk, he watched her as she picked it up and read over it over, surrounded by her friends giggles. She looked up and locked eyes with him. 

Five years. 

During lunch he walked up and put an apple on her lunch tray in front of her friends. He heard the whispers and giggles as he walked away. She turned, smiled at him, and bit into the apple. Maybe this was a truce, or a sign of acceptance. 

Next period they talked about To Kill a Mockingbird and music all class, she liked mixtapes and records. She was absolutely adorable. 

Language arts quickly turned into his favorite subject.


	2. two

Anne wasn't quite sure how to feel about Gilbert Blythe. 

When they first met he had been nice yes, he stared a strange amount and Anne couldn't for the life of her understand why. He had nice eyes and a kind smile, good hair, dark, curly. Anne didn't know if she'd see him again, but when she did, it had been okay, he was nice, and again, stared a lot. Maybe a little too much.

Diana and Ruby took notice of this, two girls she met over the summer. Diana was her bosom friend, she was a true kindred spirit, no one was like Diana not one person in this entire universe. Anne was sure if it. 

Turns out Ruby, a friend she met that summer through Diana, had a crush on him since the sixth grade, she amazed how Anne could talk to him with such ease. Ruby was a lovely girl, quite strange but lovely, Anne told her if she would just talk and get to know Gilbert maybe she'd have a chance. 

Ruby said she'd gone mad. 

She wasn't quite sure why she'd gotten so mad when he called her carrots, it was true, her hair was an awful color. Still she got mad and maybe she shouldn't have but it didn't matter, she was definitely not going to apologize until he did. 

His form of apology came I something else. She told him how she felt actually love for the first time in eleven years and he looked at her like she had just handed him a puppy, or a winning lottery ticket. 

Again, she didn't know why. 

The next morning she found a note on her desk, she read it surrounded by her two best friends and it said as follows. 

_ I apologize for calling you carrots yesterday Anne, it was uncalled for and you're right, it was very rude. I hope we can put this behind us and maybe become friends. I actually think your hair is quite lovely, it looks particularly good with flowers in it - Gilbert  _

Anne blushed and refused to look at him for the entire class until lunch, when he had walked up to her and placed on apple on her lunch tray. The girls found it intriguing. 

Tillie giggled. "It seems he's taken a liking to you Anne."

Diana looked at Ruby and spoke up. "I'm sure that's not the case, he was probably just apologizing for yesterday."

Anne tried not to pay attention to girls idle chatter, instead she turned and smiled at him, biting into the apple. She hoped he understood what that meant. She forgave him. 

  
  


Anne had just finished reading the final pages of To Kill a Mockingbird when Gilbert walked into class. 

"One of my favorites." He commented as he sat down.

She smiled. "Mine too, it's brilliant, the author has such a way with words, it's so raw and doesn't sugarcoat anything, the characters are magnificent and everything they do has a purpose. I could never come up with anything like this."

He smiled. "You write?" 

"I'm not very good, just silly stories, Diana says they're like nothing she's ever read but she's too kind to me."

"I'd love to read them sometime."

She smiled slightly. "And maybe you might."

Class with Ms Stacey was just glorious, she was an amazing woman and so beautiful as well. Anne could just tell she was a kindred spirit, she couldn't wait to know more about her. She'd learned that she was once married but her husband fell to illness only a few years into their marriage. Still she was still standing strong and Anne admired her for that. She could not imagine losing your one true love. 

Towards the end of class Gilbert turned towards her and began idle conversation, he asked of her interests and hobbies. 

"Well I do enjoy reading, I could read all day if I didn't have any responsibilities, writing, it's also greats, it helps to put what I feel onto paper quite a lot and it expands the mind, I could go on.." She pondered for a second. 

"I really do love music it's just wondrous, how simple words can make us feel so much, I learned how to make mixtapes just a spell ago. I have so many different ones, I've made some for Diana before, maybe to many but I never have anyone to give them to."

He had his head rested in his hands staring at her again. His smile was soft and eyes slightly droopy. She frowned. 

"Are you falling asleep?"

"No, no, just listening to you talk is calming, music eh? I'm not really a big music guy, unless you can count children's lullabies as music taste."

Her eyes practically bugged out her head. "How can you not listen to music? It's just provides so much inspiration and distraction, it can make you feel so many different things at once, it's so enchanting."

The bell rang as she finished speaking. He smiled at her giving a small nod and salute as he left the class. 

"I'm glad you've forgiven me Anne, be expecting a million apples throughout the school year."

"Can't wait." 

  
  


"Woohoo!" Anne whooped as she ran out of the school.

"First week of school over Diana, isn't it wonderful, I've managed to behave myself even!" 

She smiled as she walked alongside her. "It's great to be back but I'll admit I'm excited for the weekend."

Anne squealed and grabbed her friend's hand. "We're still having that sleep over at yours aren't we?" 

Diana nodded. Anne couldn't wait. School had been better than she thought, kids were actually nice. Josie Pye made an offhand comment once but it had been sorted. Anne thinks of her a friend now. She really thought she would make a bad first impression but she managed to make friends. She was feeling absolutely exquisite. 

She and Diana went over to her house immediately after school. Her friend's parents were absolutely loaded, which was just an added bonus to all of Diana's true beauty, inside and out. 

Ruby unfortunately couldn't join the but that was okay, sometimes all the two needed was one another. 

"So Anne." Diana spoke. "What do you think of Gilbert?"

Anne almost choked on a cookie "What's that supposed to mean?"

She smiled mischievously. "I'm just saying, he's never shown an interest in anyone before-" 

"He's not interested in anything of the sort!" She exclaimed. 

"He's shown up at our table everyday just to give you an apple, I've seen you two walking to fifth period together, and he does seem to have a staring problem don't you think?" 

Anne rolled her eyes. "I've known him for a week, and he's just a friend, and I have told him to quite the staring it is quite strange."

Diana broke out laughing. Anne tried not to find the humor in the situation but locked eyes with her and busted out laughing as well. 

Anne took her hand. "No one is interested in me Diana trust me, besides, the audacity I would have loving a man when you're right here in front of me."

Diana blushed slightly, but rolled her eyes. "I dunno Anne, beside Gilbert I've heard Charlie comment on how cute redheads are."

"My hairs disgusting Diana, now off the topic of silly boys, unless you want to giggle to me about Jerry-" 

She gasped and hit her with a pillow. Anne declared war from that moment and they had a very jarring and ruthless pillow fight until Diana fell off the bed and called a truce. They ate cookies all night and watched television after that. Falling asleep on the floor next to someone after a fun night was an ethereal feeling. Especially when that person is someone you love. She could stay here forever. 

Unfortunately, she did have to go home the next day and when lunch rolled around she found herself missing the taste of apples and the faint touch whenever he leaned over to leave it on her tray. 

She sighed and for some reason she had a hankering to make a mixtape with Gilbert in mind. He had said his music taste was limited to lullabies, and no matter how lovely that sounded she couldn't help but feel pity for the poor boy who never experienced real music. 

So she decided to make him a mixtape. She did have to give him something for all the apples he threw her away. It's only fair. 

Right? 


	3. three

Gilbert really couldn't wait for the weekend to be over. It's not like he didn't enjoy the weekends, he got to spend time with Delphine and work at the bakery, he just really wanted to see Anne. 

For the first time in his life he feels like he's found a friend. He was always looked at as too mature to be grouped with the other boys, which is why they were always flitting around him as a child, he was more like an older brother then a friend. 

Then a few years ago his father passed away and he sort of distanced himself from his peers, everyone wanted to reach out and help, they just didn't know how. 

But Anne helps just by being there, they bicker sometimes, often actually, but Gilbert finds he likes it when Anne gets riled up. She makes the cutest facial expressions and rants endlessly until she realizes she's maybe talked too much. 

They didn't really talk in the mornings, maybe a smile, a word or two, then Anne would get whisked away by Diana and Ruby, who stared at him a tad too much but he'll take it as a compliment. 

They're interactions started fourth period when he would lay an apple on her tray. It started as another form of apology but quickly turned into a way to see her before fifth period. On Thursday they began walking to class together, which he liked a lot. The halls were usually hell but walking with someone made it a lot more bearable.

He didn't really realize how starved he was to actually talk to another person before he met Anne, of course he had Bash and Mary and occasionally other boys at school, but it was different with her. Maybe it was because she was actually his friend, not just another one of his classmates or family.

"Okay I'm just saying-" 

"You're acting ridiculous-" 

"I'm acting ridiculous?" 

"Well of course you are, you-", 

In the middle of their mild bicker about whether a pop tart was just another form ravioli or not they had bumped into someone and Anne knocked all her stuff on the floor. 

She rolled her eyes before squatting down to pick up her stuff, he smiled and went down to help her. As he was helping her he noticed a cassette case with his name on it. He picked it up and looked at her questionably. She noticed what he had in his hand and her eyes lit up. 

"This, Mr Blythe," She plucked the cassette pit of his hand. "Is your one way ticket to paradise."

He handed her the rest of her stuff and smiled. "How so Ms Shirley Cuthbert?"

She rolled her eyes and they continued walking. "A life without music is truly not a life well spent, I put some of my favorites on here, I'm sure you'll love it!"

He smiled, and examined it. It seems she decorated it with small flowers and stars, and some red scribbles were always seen a few times on the paper within the cassette case. 

"Ignore the scribbles, those were meant to be hearts, I forgot who I was originally making the mixed tape for, usually I hand my stuff off to Diana."

He smiled cheekily. "I would've loved some hearts."

She rolled her eyes with a smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

When he went home that day his focus was to listen to the mixed tape Anne had made him. He asked Bash if he had a cassette player, who in return looked as if he'd been punched in the face. 

He owns nothing but records. 

So Gilbert took to looking in the shed where he had put all his dad's when he passed. It was full of old furniture and some automobile sculptures, a few photos and badges. Nothing to much, Gilbert had kept all his old clothes in a trunk somewhere waiting for the day he'd actually need them.

To his surprise he found one, along with a few cassettes, nothing special, most were just some jazz tunes and radio shows. He'd listen to them later, he has a vague memory of jazz music and nothing but oatmeal breakfasts when he was younger. Those were absolutely awful, but everytime he eats oatmeal now it brings back memories of his father. 

It's a good thing to eat oatmeal. 

He went up to his room and plugged in the cassette player, it was a little hard to work out at first because he never used it before but it worked out pretty swell. 

The paper with his name on it had a list of songs on the back. The first song was called There is a Light that Never Goes Out by The Smith's, upon reading through the rest of it was on there again as the last song. It seems she really liked The Smith's as a lot of their songs were on the tape. 

As for the song he liked it, he wasn't really used to anything so loud and upbeat, the lyrics were good, nothing too memorable but it was the sound that made him want to listen to it again. 

Oasis was also on the tape a few times, although he liked the Smith's more their stuff was alright, it made him want to get up and go on an adventure. 

There was one song called Heroes by David Bowie, who he had heard of before, the song hit hard, he doesn't even know why it is just the song and the way he spoke but he was speaking he was singing. It was wild. 

There was also a group called Abba, they were great, probably his second favorite. Now Gilbert wasn't into dancing or singing really but he couldn't help but sing along and have a mini dancing session in his desk chair while he tried (and failed) to focus on his school work.

All too soon the familiar song that had once played at the beginning started up again, he cherished the song, it might be his favorite one, next to Heroes that is. 

As the song faded out into the background and the cassette finally finished he leaned back in his chair in awe. 

Where had this been all his life. 

Gilbert couldn't wait to see Anne again, he wanted to tell her all about his experience with the music and what he had felt. Like nothing before, he felt like he could do anything, he felt so free. 

When it was time for fourth period he slipped her a note as well as the apple. He went back to his table and watched as she opened it. She smiled up and him. In order to hide his pink cheeks he went back to reading his book after his gave her a smile as well. 

As they walked to fifth period together he went on a mini rant. 

"I couldn't believe how much emotion was packed into each song, each one made me feel like I could do different things, like climb a mountain or crawl into a hole and die does that make sense?" 

"It doesn't have to make sense!" Anne exclaimed. "If that's how you feel then say it, feelings are meant to be felt not explained, and when they are explained why try to be normal, feelings aren't normal they're wide and vast, they're wonderful when felt right!" 

Gilbert smiled. "You make them feel right."

She stopped and stared at him with wide eyes, her cheeks pinked.

"With...with the tape! It was such a good collection of songs, if it isn't too much to ask I'd like to ask for another one."

She smiled and gave a curt nod before rushing into class. 

They made idle conversation as they worked on a thesis for an essay they were going to write.

"Hey, why did you never come back to the apple orchard?" 

She shrugged. "I dunno, I should but I feel like it'll be weird now because we know each other."

"No no it won't be weird." He bumped her shoulder. "We can hang out together."

She laughed. "Ok, how about I come after school, I've been wanting to write something in your orchard, it's such a whimsical place." 

He smiled. "Okay, I'll be waiting." 

Gilbert wasn't lying when he said he would be waiting. 

After school he skipped doing his homework and went straight to the orchard to wait it out. He didn't know when she would arrive so he checked on all the trees. They were all healthy, but one had a wonky branch, him and Bash would have to take care of that later. 

He picked an apple and sat at the base of a tree, as he bit into it he looked out at the orchard and understood what Anne was talking about. It was beautiful. 

There was a time when he was younger that all his aunt's and uncles would come over for the holidays, him and his cousins would run around the snowy orchard, making snowmen and having snowball fights. 

There was a time it felt whimsical, as Anne said, now it just feels like work. 

He sat there with his eyes closed in peace. It felt okay like this, he should come out here more often. 

He heard a rustle so he looked up to see Anne clutching a journal with her hair behind her ears. She had put her hair up in a ponytail braid type thing, she looked cute. 

"It's just as pretty as I remember." She squealed. 

He smiled. "I was just thinking the same thing."

She sat down next to him. She was closer than they normally would be when waking in the halls or in class. She smelled like cinnamon and vanilla. 

"I just wanna write for a bit if that's alright, you can talk to me though, I find the silence a bit overwhelming." 

"Okay."

As she wrote he told her about the orchard. How all his family would come over and it would be endless fun and food. He talked of his old love for hockey, he even used to be on a team when he was in middle school. He told her the time most of apple trees died when he was a kid and they had to replant all the trees. She smiled and laughed occasionally but never chipped into the conversation. 

She was infatuated with her writing. He looked at her and saw the way her brow scrunched in frustration, the way she chewed on her lips. Her hand gripped the pen with such intensity, right there in that moment she looked so at ease, but also so alive. 

"Okay done!" She looked up at him and smiled. "Are you ready for a dramatic reading and vivid story of the Apple Prince, as inspired by Gilbert Blythe."

He laughed. "Lay it on me." 

It was a fantastic story about a boy who grew up in poverty, but was whisked away by a female knight who had taken him to the apple kingdom where he could be a true prince. It was a great story, he smiled and gave a little applause when she was done. 

"Thank you, thank you." She bowed. 

"It was a great story Anne, you've got a real knack for storytelling, I'd love to read more of your stuff if you'll let me."

She rolled her eyes and tried to mask a smile. "I really should be going now, but it was great to hangout Gilbert, we should do this again."

He waved her off shouting a goodbye as walked out the orchard. 

He couldn't wait to do this again.


End file.
